ARGO, is it our Rescue Vehicle? is it our boat
tractor? is it our mobile observation tower? it is in fact all of
them plus lots more. Versatility is a long word but a simple four
letter name covers it, ARGO!

When
we were looking at replacing our quad bike we needed a vehicle that
met specific criteria.

1.
It had to survive continual exposure in a salty environment.2. There was a need to travel over soft sand whilst towing
a boat.3. We needed to move a large volume of equipment onto the
beach.4. As we didn't have a tower, a stable base to stand on would
be good.

Our
Original Argo Vanguard 6x6 has over the 5 years at Ocean Beach,
been slightly modified as we learnt what needed improving for our
specific operation. We put tracks on it which gave us better performance
on the soft sand at the entrance to the beach. We have had the chassis
totally galvanised along with the wheel rims and other exposed metal.
The key start has been changed to a simple sealed push button to
stop the ingress of sand and finally but not least, we cut bigger
drainage holes in the bottom. This wasn't just to let out the water
after the wash down; vibration whilst driving moved loose sand to
the rear of the hull and out of the larger holes creating less wear
on the chain drive.

There
was one other bonus that came with the Argo, we won the support
of the Ocean Beach local residents. Ocean Beach is a conservation
sensitive area and anyone can see that with the low ground pressure,
minimal impact on the environment occurs. The tracks made a huge
difference in its towing capacity and with the Argos increased carrying
ability over the quad, less trips to the beach also saves petrol.

To
the descriptive word versatility we must also add functionality,
it is when the Argo is missing that we realise how important it
is to our role of saving lives, it makes our job that little bit
easier.